Toads R Us

I've got a thing for toads. Always have. Proof- a vintage 1970s toad planter I have cherished since I was 5. I fell in love with it, and the toads in my window well, and the rest is history. (I still wonder to this day whether anyone rescued to toads from my window well, I literally thought they lived in there! Imagine my face 25 years later when I realized they didn't... oh dear.)

They're just so unassuming, so happy to just be here. They wiggle their toes when they get a snack. LOOK at this face and tell me you don't love it. I DARE YOU!

But there's a lot of people who own them without knowing the first thing about what they need. They fall in love, take them home and only then realize they need help. 

So, I wrote a care manual- it's a work of love in progress. But maybe you'll stumble on this and it will help you. 

I have cared for Western toads, Western Spadefoot toads (longevity record, here!) and Western Woodhouse toads professionally for 25 years. Much of this knowledge can be directly applied to any species of American Toad. Note: I am not a breeding expert- but a girl can dream.

The manual:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zmIqVXD04lgBFdifCzRF_zUPVa1vWYPy/view?usp=sharing

Let me know if you have trouble seeing this link, I'll send you the .pdf. 

Bare Bottom or Chunky? Different ponds for different needs

 There's Koi Ponds and there's Pond-Ponds, aka "natural" ponds. I love them both, but they are really different ecosystems sometimes. 

Koi ponds are often (not always!) maintained as semi-sterile, bare bottom "pools", because koi poop a LOT. And eat a LOT. There's a ton of mechanical and biological filtration needed. But these ponds these can be beautiful! I maintained one of these with a great friend at the La Brea tar Pits and Museum for 10 years. I loved the fish so much, and once we got the filtration under control, it was a joy to be in there cleaning and commiserating with the fish

~I miss the Pok Pok! sounds of of demands for snacks~

Here we are moving the fish to a new location- that's a whole blog in and of itself! I'm just lucky to have to many good friends with good equipment. 

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Natural History Museum's Nature Gardens Pond

 

THIS pond is a whole other ballgame. I have the pleasure of co-managing the life in this pond to this day, and I was a part of the design plan to take it from a concrete pool to a beautiful breeding ground for Arroyo Chub (Gila orcutti) our native fish, a permitted Species of Special Concern in CA. Here is a very pregnant Leslie introducing fish that she hoped would become very pregnant, too. (They did, and are.)

The waterfall keeps this pond very well oxygenated and drowns out the sounds of the city. We originally had plans for turtles so we have many basking sites, but could not agree on the fencing measures needed to keep them from wandering onto the road nearby. The occasional visiting ducks rather like these spots too, though. 

We have shallow areas for the fish to breed, and for us to feed and observe the fish health. We used cobble on the bottom for invertebrate breeding, carefully planned a filtration retrofit to be fish-appropriate, and planted the edges to blend in with the grounds. The plants were chosen by, and are watched over by a group of skilled horticulturists that work on the grounds.

Balancing the plants, algae, fish and invert life is the goal here without the standard koi pond chemicals. There's a bit more manual labor, but so worth it. Allowing some growth and natural functions make for a much more healthy ecosystem.

Do you need to chat with a vet?

Sometimes we want to talk about nutrition, sometimes we just need to be sure it’s time to go to the vet's office in person. Dr. Richards will help guide you.

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We know that you want to provide the best possible life for your animals, but sometimes a trip to your local vet is not immediately practical, or you might not even be sure it is time to go! Holly Richards DVM will spend some time on a video conference with you to talk about nutrition, quality of life, training, or any questions about what you are observing with your animals.


Note: This is NOT a replacement for in-person veterinary care. Dr. Richards will not be prescribing medications or treating your animal. Sometimes an encouraging voice is all you need!

20-30 minute video conference: $72


Write to Leslie for more information BeNiceToSnakes@gmail.com

Brackish water turtle tank design

I love designing with this program, it doesn't include everything, but it makes me think and create differently.

Designed with a softshell and cohabitating fish inside. 

Bench on the side hides equipment!

Features:

• basking ledge, free for swimming underneath
• open top, pendant lighting/ heat
• planters on ledges
• false strangler fig as 3D effect, backdrop could be added as sun shield
• some elements can go beyond glass for an added effect
• equipment hidden in bench
• low front panel is turtle safe and invites the viewer to enjoy a closer feel

A redesign concept for a tortoise yard

Sometimes I redesign using software that can force me to think in new, creative ways. every detail is not included, but it's so fun to just  conceptualize!

Here, I redesigned a friend's sulcata tortoise yard that it shares with goats and pigs. I wanted the tortoise hide to be something the goats could safely stand on, since they'd totally do it anyway. 😅

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

I really like this giant heated house, so that during cold weather in So. Cal (not often) the animal still has room to move around. Would use freezer strips to keep in the heat.

A bubbling, flat pool is perfect for sulcatas - they love to exctere urates in moving water!

A really strong, tall planter is key- they can mow down ANYTHING. But eventually the plants will grow low enough to nibble on, or easily trim from. Browse poles are periodically replaced- did I mention they are STRONG animals?

These tree stumps are buried in the earth with the goal of giving them something to push on, walk around, and generally destroy. They seem to like to have obstacles to walk around a bit. The barrel can hold browse, or just be knocked around a bit.

They a LOT need room like horses. Horses that dig. Relentlessly.

Planting opuntia and other things that will drop into the yard now and again is great. I'd probably recommend making a solid wall at tortoise height is best, though. 

On the left I was playing with the idea of burying a half-barrel to create an "Authorized Dig Spot". Perhaps pretending to be exasperated at filling it back in would make them dig there more? 😁

"Rabbit the Boa gets a "rabbitat"

 He already had a big habitat, but he needed BIGGER! 😁

The video above is the result of several months of work. Hope you enjoy!

Some of my inspiration:

The shell design

The finished shell by Seventeen seconds Design. you can see his old habitat to the left. Way too small! 

Backdrop printed on cintra and edges sealed with silicone

Early move-in to have some explore time!

Building out the buttress root tree: 

hardware cloth, plaster bandages and then Smooth On sculpting epoxy

Paint time! Maker Pro Paints are AMAZINGLY strong

Test fit

Hi, my name is Leslie and I am Color-phile

All sealed up with epoxy and ready to roll!